The Secret
by TheGirlWhoReadFiction
Summary: Bella and Jacob dated throughout college, unbeknownst to both of their families. A secret marriage and and an unexpected meeting in Washington during a summer vacation home to visit family creates an awkward situation. How long can Bella and Jacob keep their marriage a secret from their friends and family when all they want is to be together? ALL HUMAN, SLIGHTLY OOC
1. Chapter 1

**So this is a new story. The idea just sort of came to me about a week ago. Any similarities to other stories is pure coincidental. I'm really excited for this one, so I hope you read along and follow Bella and Jacob's crazy journey with me. As always, feedback is welcomed and appreciated.**

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Chapter 1

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It was my senior year at the University of Nevada, Reno, and there were only three days left until graduation. After working for four long and challenging years, I was finally going to get my bachelor's degree in English. Once graduation was over, I would be heading home to Arizona to see my mom and stepdad Phil. Phil was a minor league baseball player, so that required that he and my mom travel to different states for games. Therefore, they would be missing my graduation, which was a bit disappointing, but I would see them soon.

I made my way over to the quad, where I found my incredible boyfriend, Jacob, sitting under our favorite tree, studying for his last final. He smiled at me as I walked up and took a seat next to him. He gave me a peck on the lips and then continued to look over his notes. I watched as he started to mouth the words he was reading; he was so focused. Jacob was majoring in mechanical engineering and would be graduating alongside me.

We both met our sophomore year at a party his roommate was throwing. I was terribly shy at the time, so my friends practically had to drag me there, but I'm glad that they did. Ever since that night, my life has been amazing. Life with Jacob is never boring. One of the reasons that life with him was never boring was because we were constantly trying to keep our relationship a secret from our parents. My dad, Charlie, was the chief of police in a small town in Washington. I had only gone to visit a few times when I was younger; he mostly came to visit me in Arizona. When he came to my school to help me move in freshman year, he made it very clear that if I ever dated someone, he would shoot them. I thought he was kidding at the time, but after he brought it up again during my sophomore year, I decided that if I ever got a boyfriend, I wouldn't tell my family, just in case.

I didn't actually think my dad would shoot Jacob but he would sure try his hardest to get him arrested for some absurd reason. Thankfully, Jacob graciously agreed to go along with my crazy request, and he didn't even think I was strange for asking. That was one of the reasons I loved him; he accepted me for me, quirks and all.

I rested my head against Jacob's shoulder and let the warm Nevada sunshine send it's rays down on me. I must have dosed off because after what seemed like only a few minutes, Jacob was gently shaking me awake.

"Bells, it's time to wake up," Jacob said. I loved the nickname he had for me.

"How long was I asleep?" I asked.

Jacob shrugged. "Thirty minutes, maybe. My final starts in fifteen. I have to go." Jacob stood and then offered his hand to help me up, as well.

"Thanks." I smiled. I stood up on my tiptoes to give Jacob a kiss. He was so much taller than I was, at least by a foot. "Good luck."

"Thanks, I'm going to need it." He said as he adjusted his hand so his fingers threaded through mine.

"You're going to do great." I said as we began to walk towards his classroom.

I left him at the door and then walked across campus to my room. Most of my stuff was in boxes. This was it. I wasn't coming back the next year and I was sad to be leaving the place I had called home for four years of my life. I decided to pack up what little I had left as I waited for Jacob to finish his final. Luckily my roommate, Jane, wasn't around, so I was able to blast my music as I packed. Jane was nice, but we didn't have a lot in common; our taste in music being one of them.

Three hours later, there was a knock on my door. I opened it to reveal Jacob on the other side looking weary.

"Hey," I said, pulling him into the room where we both took a seat at the edge of my bed. "How was the final?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Stressful. I'm pretty sure I passed, though."

"That's great!" I exclaimed. "Let's go get some dinner at our favorite place to celebrate!" Jacob seemed to perk up at the idea of getting food. That boy was always hungry.

"Alright. Give me ten minutes to run back to my room and grab some cash." He stood up and walked to the door. "I'll be right back."

Exactly ten minutes and thirty-two seconds later, Jacob was back with a smile on his face. He had a great smile. It was a bit lopsided, but it was so cute, I couldn't ever resist him when he used it on me.

We took Jacob's car to the restaurant. It was a little 50s diner, with jukebox and all. To most people, it wasn't a big deal, but this was the place where we had our first date, and since then, we had had some great times there.

Ever the gentleman, Jacob opened the door for me when we arrived. We looked around the restaurant and saw a booth in the corner that was vacant. We didn't even have to look at the menus; we had been there so many times that the waitresses knew us by name, and knew our usual orders. Bree brought us our cheeseburgers and we dug right in.

After we finished eating, Jacob and I walked hand-in-hand back to his car. He walked me over to my door, but didn't open it right away. Instead, he stared nervously at me.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned.

"Nothing's wrong. I, uh…I wanted to ask you something." Jacob said. I noticed that the hand that wasn't holding mine was fidgeting in his jean pocket.

"Okay…" I said slowly, urging him to continue.

"I didn't know when the right time would be to do this, but tonight suddenly seems perfect." Jacob began. "I mean, this was where we had our first date almost three years ago."

I didn't speak. I just looked at him curiously, trying to understand where he was going with this. Suddenly, he let out a huge breath of air that he seemed to be holding and pulled his other hand out of his pocket as he kneeled down in front of me. I stared back at him, shocked at the night's turn of events.

"Bella," He said softly and then cleared his throat. The next words he spoke were more confident. "Bella I've loved you since the day I laid eyes on you sophomore year. You make me a better person and I can't imagine my life without you. I know that we are spending the summer apart, but I wanted to make sure that I would be coming back, not to my girlfriend, but to my future wife. Will you marry me?"

By the time he finished his speech, I had tears streaming down my face. "Of course I will." I croaked as he slid a diamond ring onto my left hand.

"It was my mother's," He said softly, standing up. His mother had died when he was very young, so I knew that it was very important to him that he was able to give it to me. "My dad gave it to me right before I started college, saying that I might need it someday."

"It's beautiful." I said, staring down at the sparkling stone. "Jacob?"

"Yeah?" He was looking at me lovingly.

"I don't want to wait."

"What do you mean?" He asked, looking at me quizzically.

"I don't want to wait until after summer break to marry you." I said delicately.

"We both leave in four days…"

"I know. I just really want to marry you. And you know how much I hate having attention on me."

Jacob chuckled. "I know. I guess it wouldn't make much sense to have a big wedding when our families don't even know we're together." He paused as he carefully thought through his next words. "How about after graduation? We can drive to one of the chapels down the road and get married."

I looked at him in awe, surprised that he was agreeing to my request. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." He smirked. "It might be kind of fun to keep this secret from our families. It'll be like we're doing something naughty. It's kind of sexy."

"Jacob Black!" I punched him in the arm. I knew exactly what he was implying, and it made me blush. Neither of us were exactly virgins, but he was the only one I had ever been with, and I was the only one he had ever been with. That had to count for something.

"We wont tell anyone, not even our friends. And when I see you after summer, we can figure out where to go from there."

"Alright." I agreed. We had never been apart for more than two weeks at a time. We had both taken summer classes the previous two years, and the longest I had gone to visit my mom was for ten days. Jacob's trips home to visit his dad lasted the full fourteen days, but I just couldn't really do that with my mom. I loved her, but her constant need to go out and try different activities exhausted me. I had no idea how I was going to be able to spend three full months with her.

After a few minutes of kisses and 'I love yous', we were back in Jacob's car and on our way back to school. Luckily, when I got to my room, all of the lights were off, meaning that my roommate was already in dreamland. That made it easier for me to hide the ring without her seeing it.

I could hardly sleep that night. In only three days time, I would be graduating college, and I would be marrying my best friend. Life couldn't possibly get any better.

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**Thanks for reading! If you haven't already, please check out my other Bella and Jacob story called, _Love and Monsters: The Wolf Within._**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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My alarm clock scared me awake and I smacked my hand against the button to make it stop. Six in the morning was a horrible hour to get up. How did people actually get up at that time, willingly? I laid back on my bed and stared up at the white ceiling, trying to find the energy to move. I started thinking about what I had planned for the day when my heart suddenly started rapidly pounding in my chest. Saturday; graduation day; the day I married Jacob! I sat up quickly and looked over at Jane's side of the room to see her eyes peeping out at me from under her comforter.

"What are you so excited about?" She asked, her sleep laced voice muffled by the blanket.

"Um…graduation." I said, trying to keep a ridiculous grin from creeping onto my face.

"Graduations are so boring." Jane groaned and began to push the covers off of her.

"Yes, but it means that we are finally done with our undergraduate's degree!" I was running around my room, trying to put a nice outfit together that would never be seen from under my black robe, but still wanting to look nice all the same. I had never been very much into fashion, but I still knew how to dress for different occasions. I also laid out the new, short, white dress I would be changing in to after graduation, for the wedding. After picking out an outfit, I ran to the bathroom to take a quick shower and do my hair.

One hour later, I was outside of Jacob's room, hoping he was ready so we could grab some breakfast before heading over to check in to graduation at eight-thirty. Luckily, we had an early graduation that started at nine-thirty. The school wanted to give us time to celebrate afterwards.

Thankfully, Jacob was done. "Are you ready for this?" He asked, giving me a crooked smile and taking my hand in his as we walked down the hallway and out towards the cafeteria.

"I'll be glad when it's over. I'm more excited about what's happening after graduation." I said.

"Me too." He lifted my hand to his lips and gently kissed the back of it.

When we reached the cafeteria, we both got some food and sat down at one of the free tables. We were sitting very closely to each other, quietly chatting about our wedding plans when Jane sat down across from us. We had been so absorbed in our conversation that we literally jumped when she spoke.

"What's up, you two?" She asked amusedly.

"Nothing." We both said in unison.

"Mmhmm. Well I'm so ready for this to be over. Are you two still coming to my party after the ceremony?" One thing I liked about Jane was that she didn't pry; mostly because she didn't care, but also because she knew when it was none of her business.

"We wouldn't miss it." I said, giving her a forced smile.

"Good." She ignored the uncomfortable look that Jacob and I shared as she ate her cereal.

"Well, we're going to go check in. We'll see you in a little bit." I said as I stood up and began walking, pulling Jacob along behind me. Jane just nodded in response.

"Oh my gosh, I completely forgot about her party!" I said, frantically once we were out of earshot. I was trying to go through our plans in my head and see how the party would affect them.

"Me too. Can't we just skip it and go straight to our honeymoon?"

"Jake! I just told her we'd be there! It would be rude not to show up at least for a little while." I was trying to be the responsible one, although, Jake's idea was much more appealing.

"Fine." Jacob sighed dramatically. "I would hate to be rude."

I chuckled and rolled my eyes. I knew how he was feeling. The next few hours were going to drag on.

We had just enough time to go back to our rooms and grab our robes before heading over to the sign-in table. The lady at the table smiled and congratulated us before telling us to go and stand in our proper lines. Because of our last names, Jacob and I were going to be separated, which sucked, but it wouldn't be forever.

Once everyone was checked in and lined up, we all paraded on to the ceremony space and took our seats. The speeches were long and cliché and I was extremely happy when they finally started calling out the names. When they called Jacob's name, I screamed as loud as I could, earning a few stares from my surrounding classmates. When they finally reached my name, my heart skipped a beat. I was really hoping that I wouldn't trip as I crossed the stage.

"Isabella Marie Swan," the woman said as I carefully made my way across the stage to shake the principal's hand. I was so excited that I couldn't stop smiling. It was also at that moment that reality hit me. After that day, I would no longer be a 'Swan'; I would be Mrs. Jacob Black. I practically ran back down the stairs, and when I passed Jake's row, I saw him laughing at me! I childishly stuck my tongue out at him and went back to my seat. The rest of the ceremony passed by in a blur and pretty soon the principal was offering his congratulations and we all started throwing our caps into the air.

A couple of people came up to talk to me and give me hugs. I exchanged numbers with a few friends from my classes and we told each other we would keep in touch.

Eventually, I pushed my way through the excited crowd until I found Jacob. He was talking to a couple of his friends as I walked up.

"Hey, babe." He said once he saw me. He drew me to him and gave me a big kiss right in front of everyone. His friends started to cheer and I could feel my face heat up in embarrassment. When he finally broke the kiss, I was at a loss for words. He just snickered at me, all smug. "You ready to go?" He asked.

I nodded in response.

"Alright." He said before turning to his friends and telling them that he would see them at the party a little later.

"So Jane's party is at one of the casinos downtown. I was thinking that maybe we should just bring our stuff with us so we don't have to drive back here. The chapel is just down the street from the casino."

"Sounds good to me. Let's go get your luggage and we can head on over to the party." Jacob said.

After the wedding, Jacob and I were going to be spending one night at a hotel and then he would be driving me to the airport the next morning. I had already sent all of my boxes of stuff, except for my suitcase full of clothes, with a couple of movers I hired to take my things to Arizona. They would be arriving, hopefully, a few hours before I did. Jacob, on the other hand, was driving all the way back to Washington since he had brought his car to school with him. It was a shame that his dad couldn't make the graduation. I imagine the two of them would have had a fun drive home if he had been here. As it turns out, Jake's dad, Billy, was the chief of the Quileute tribe in Washington, meaning that Jacob was next in line for the position. We hadn't discussed anything about moving to the reservation, but I knew the talk would be coming soon enough.

We arrived to the party a little while after it had already started. Every way we turned, we saw another person we knew. The party ended up being a lot of fun, but by the time five o'clock came around, we were ready to get out of there. We weren't going to have much time together as it was, and then we would be apart for three months. We definitely needed to leave. While Jake went around the party saying goodbye to his friends, I said goodbye to mine, ending with Jane.

"Leaving already, Bella?" She asked with a slight slur.

"Yeah. I've got an early flight tomorrow and Jake and I wanted to spend some time together before we both separate for the summer," I said. It wasn't that big of a lie. I _did_ have an early flight and I _was_ spending time with Jake, she just didn't know the details.

"Oh. Well I'm going to miss you. You better call me! Don't forget about your favorite roommate!"

"I wont." I smiled and gave her a hug. Despite the fact that we were completely opposite people, I would really miss Jane. She had been a good friend to me.

When I finally met up with Jake again, we simply smiled at each other and went to the car. We drove to the chapel in silence, both of us lost in our thoughts. It was quite an emotional day.

When we got there, we paid for the basic wedding package and then we both went into our own separate dressing rooms to change. I looked at myself in the floor-length mirror and smiled. I didn't care what anyone else thought; this was definitely how I wanted my wedding to be. I had on a cute, short, white fit and flare with sparkly silver shoes. I liked that I could be semi-casual and there wasn't a lot of planning involved since the chapel was in charge of whatever decoration they wanted to put up.

A knock on the door let me know that they were ready for me. I took a deep breath and exited the room. I really hoped I wouldn't cry. I wasn't usually one for crying, but considering all of the milestones that were happening, I wasn't so sure I could keep the tears in.

I could hear the music start to play and the chapel doors opened up in front of me. The isle was extremely short, but I was thankful for that because it meant there was less of a chance that I would fall on my face. Looking across the room, I saw Jake outfitted in a new dress shirt and pants. He looked absolutely perfect. I don't know how I ever got so lucky to find him. I met his eyes and I saw joy in them; joy at seeing me. Seven steps led me to him and he took both of my hands in his.

The officiator began his speech but I didn't hear much of what he said; I was too absorbed in staring at the perfect man in front of me.

"And now it is time to exchange the rings." I definitely heard that part.

"Do you, Jacob Ephriam Black, take Isabella to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do." Jacob gave me one of my favorite smiles and slid the ring onto my finger.

"And do you, Isabella Marie Swan, take Jacob to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do." I gave the Jacob the biggest smile and slid the simple gold band onto his finger.

"By the power vested in me by the state of Nevada, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride!"

I couldn't see anyone else except for Jacob. His hands gently cupped my face and he ever so slowly leaned in to kiss me. It didn't last for very long, but I definitely felt the love that he had for me. A moment later, I squealed a bit as Jacob lifted me up into his arms and carried me down the aisle. I had married the love of my life and we were on our way to our honeymoon as husband and wife, finally.

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**Reviews are very much appreciated! Also, please check out my Bella and Jacob story, "Love and Monsters: The Wolf Within" if you have the chance! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

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I woke up feeling overheated. I realized that I was flush up against Jacob with his arm draped across my waist. A glance at the bedside table let me know that I woke up only minutes before the alarm would go off. I hated when that happened. I reached over to turn it off before it woke Jake up. Then, I gently tried to lift Jake's arm so I could get up and take a shower. Instead, his grip on me got tighter as he started to wake up.

"Where do you think you're going?" He grumbled, sleepily.

"It's almost seven. I need to get up." I attempted to move again, but it just wasn't working.

"No. Stay." He pleaded. He successfully managed to turn me so I was laying on my back, starring up into his deep brown eyes as he hovered over me. "Don't leave me."

I knew exactly how he was feeling. My flight left at ten and this was our last morning together before being separated for three months. I would stay in bed with him all day if I could. I smiled softly at him and leaned up to give him a kiss. "I love you."

I heard Jacob faintly sigh. "How did I get so lucky to find someone like you?"

"I ask myself the same thing every day about you." I reached my hand up and placed it on his bare chest, right over his heart.

Jacob put all of his weight on one arm and used his free hand to place over my own. "I love you too." We stayed in that position, staring into each other's eyes, until Jacob could no longer hold his weight and he laid back down on the bed next to me. "Go take your shower and I'll pack up all of our stuff."

"Thanks." I said. I took a shower while Jacob packed and then he took a shower while I got dressed. Eventually, we were ready to head off to the airport. As we drove, I stared out the window and saw everything with new eyes. We passed places that I wished I could go to again and places that I wondered why I had never visited before. Not only was I losing my Jacob, but I was also losing the place I called home.

We eventually arrived at the airport. Jake wouldn't be allowed to go with me past security, so we would be parting a lot earlier than I would have liked. He helped me check my bag and then it was time to say goodbye.

I actually cried. I didn't cry at our wedding, but I cried at our parting. I couldn't help it; the tears just wouldn't stop. It was a good thing that I hadn't put on any makeup that morning.

"I'll call you every night." Jake said, leaning his forehead against mine. I could tell how hard he was trying to keep himself from crying. He was being strong for the both of us.

"I'll be waiting." I replied and reached up to give him a passionate kiss, which he reciprocated, in kind. We only stopped because we both realized we were in a public place.

"Three months…" He said sadly.

"Don't forget about me." I joked, halfheartedly.

"Never." Jacob said, giving me a slight smile.

One last kiss and I really had to go or I would miss my flight. Jake watched me until I was all the way through security, and then I was alone.

I easily found my terminal and waited for my flight to board. On the plane, I ended up sitting next to a cute old couple that engaged me in conversation. I didn't even realize I was playing with my ring until the woman mentioned it. It was then that I remembered I would need to hide it before my mom saw it.

"Are you married, dear?" She asked kindly.

"Yes, I am." I smiled at being able to finally say that.

"You love him very much, don't you?" She asked, smiling back at me. I nodded in response. "Where is he, if you don't mind me asking?"

"He's visiting family in Washington while I visit family in Arizona." I said.

"Ah, well don't worry, dear. Time will fly and you two will be back together in no time." She gently patted me arm.

"I hope so."

The rest of the flight passed with the couple giving me a lot of marriage advice; some of it was actually really funny, like bribing your spouse with food. I thanked them wholeheartedly once we got off of the plane. They wished me good luck and then we parted ways. I slipped my ring into my purse before turning the corner to get to baggage claim.

I saw my mom instantly. She always insisted on being the center of attention, so of course she was holding a sign that said 'Welcome Home Bella' in bright colors and sparkles.

I walked up to her and gave her a slight smile. "Hey, mom."

"Bella! Oh, my baby! I have missed you so much!" She said, instantly pulling me into a hug. "I'm so glad you're home!"

"Yeah, me too, mom." I lied.

"Let's get your stuff and go home." She said excitedly. We easily found my suitcase and then we headed out to the car. The ride home consisted of my mom asking me questions about my senior year and how graduation went. I answered as best as I could, but I really wasn't feeling up to it. "Oh! The rest of your boxes arrived early this morning. I had the movers put them in your old room."

"That's great. Thanks."

"Sweetie, is there something wrong?" My mom asked, actually looking a bit concerned.

"No. Why would you think something is wrong?" I tried to look and sound really confused by her question.

"I don't know. You just seem kind of down."

"I'm just tired, that's all." I said. Luckily my mom accepted my answer and moved on to talking about herself. Not much longer after that, we reached my childhood home. I noticed that there was another car in the driveway and figured it was probably Phil's.

"Phil is here!" My mom said happily. "He said he was going to try to get off of practice early so he could welcome you home. I'm so glad he was able to do that."

I said hello to Phil and then he and my mom and I made a late lunch. After that, I told them that I was going to unpack and take a nap. That's how the rest of my day went. The only time they came to bother me was when they said they were going to bed. I said goodnight and continued unpacking, waiting for Jacob's call.

I was so excited when I heard my phone ringing. "Jacob." I sighed into the phone.

He chuckled. "Hey Bells. How's Arizona?"

"Awful. You aren't here."

"I'm sorry, babe." He said sadly.

"Where are you?"

"Portland. I stopped for the night. It has been a long day."

"You've got that right. My mom asked me questions about school all day long. It practically killed me not to talk about you. This might be more difficult than I thought."

"Stay strong for me. We can get through this." Jacob said confidently.

We talked for another hour before Jacob was too tired and had to go to sleep, but he promised he would call the next night.

One week passed and then another and another. Jacob called me every night and we talked about our day. I missed him so much that it hurt, but I didn't want him to know how much pain our separation was causing me. I really didn't want him to worry. I pretended that I was having fun and he believed me. He told me about what he and his friends were up to; they were all so excited that he was back. I smiled when he told me about some of the pranks that they pulled on each other. Jacob also told me about how his father kept making vague comments about Jacob becoming chief one day and how he needed to be responsible. It sounded like his dad was strict, which worried me, but Jacob assured me that he wasn't.

Four weeks into my visit home, my mom and Phil gave me some shocking news. It turned out that Phil's team was doing so well that they were going to be playing some teams on the east coast. It was a trip that would take them three weeks. My mom asked me to go along with them but being even farther from Jacob was not something I really wanted to do.

"Bella, if you really don't want to go then I can't make you." She said, seeing my hesitation to agree to her offer.

"It's not that I don't want to spend time with you, I just…don't really want to leave Arizona." I said lamely.

"I've got an Idea!" My mom said, enthusiastically. "Why don't you go visit your father for a little while? I'm sure he would love that!"

I instantly perked up at the idea. Charlie lived in Washington, which would mean that I would be closer to Jacob, although, I didn't exactly know how far away the reservation was from Forks. With my luck, it was probably on the other side of the state. I had only visited my dad a few times as a child and I didn't remember him mentioning anything about a reservation being near by. I decided I didn't care. I didn't want to go to the other side of the country to watch baseball, and I definitely didn't want to be by myself for three weeks. Visiting Charlie sounded like a perfect idea.

"Alright. I haven't seen dad in a while. I think that's a good idea."

"Great! Why don't you call him and tell him that you're coming in a couple of days and I'll go book the ticket!"

She booked the ticket for two days later. When I called and told Charlie that I was coming, he actually sounded pretty excited. He said he would go out fishing so we could have something nice to eat when I arrived. My dad couldn't cook, so I would be the one making the meal, but I was completely fine with that.

I decided not to tell Jacob that I was going to Washington. I wanted to figure out the actual location of his home, first. I didn't want to get him excited about the possibility of seeing each other if it wasn't really going to happen. Either way, the distance between us would decrease, and that made me very happy.

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**What does everyone think of chapter 3? **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

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My flight got into Port Angeles International Airport late in the afternoon. My dad was waiting for me near baggage claim, wearing his police chief uniform. He was just standing there, watching as passengers exited the sterile area. I think he might have been making some of them uncomfortable, unintentionally. Once he saw me, he put up a hand in greeting and I smiled as I walked over to him.

"Hey dad."

"Hey kiddo," he said while giving me one of those awkward side hugs. "How was your flight?"

"It was good." I said.

We got my bag and went to the car. I should have known when I saw him in his uniform that he would be driving the police cruiser. I didn't really have a problem with it, but it meant that everyone drove slower when they saw our car.

"So how have you been?" Charlie asked.

"I've been good. Keeping busy."

Charlie just grunted in response. The good thing about my dad was that he was kind of a quiet guy. He didn't like to clutter the air with idle chatter. If he had something to say, then he would say it, but small talk wasn't really his thing.

The drive from the airport to Forks took a little over an hour. Pretty soon we were pulling up to a familiar two-story house. As the story goes, my mom and dad used to live in the house when they were married, but then soon after I was born, my parents got a divorce and my mom left with me to go to Arizona while Charlie decided to keep the house in Forks. It was a small town and everyone knew everyone's business, but it wasn't like some big scandal; their marriage just didn't work out.

Once we got in the house, my dad showed me the room at the top of the stairs; the room I stayed at every time I visited, which was very infrequently. But the room was kind of cozy. It had a bed and a desk, and a rocking chair in the corner. It wasn't grand, but it was enough. When I unpacked, I made sure to put my ring in the dresser drawer under some clothes. I knew my dad wouldn't go snooping in there.

After unpacking, I went downstairs to start dinner. Charlie was sitting on the recliner watching some type of sports game. I noticed that he had changed out of his police uniform while I was upstairs and he was now wearing a flannel shirt and a pair of jeans.

As I passed by him to walk into the kitchen, he said, "Oh, Bella! My friend Harry is throwing a late graduation party for his two kids tonight and he wants us to go."

Harry. The name was kind of familiar but I couldn't place a face with it. "Um, well I don't know them, dad. I don't really think I should go."

"Nonsense!" he said, turning away from the TV to look at me. "I told Harry you were visiting and he insisted that I bring you along. Besides, I don't get many chances to show you off to my friends." Charlie sounded kind of excited about it. My guess was that he had been bragging about me like the proud parent he was. "Also, there will be dinner, so you wont have to cook anything tonight," he added.

I couldn't say no when he was so excited. Also, it was the first time I had been to Forks in seven years, and even then, I only visited for two days. I obviously wouldn't just stay home and not experience anything that the state of Washington had to offer. Plus, I was kind of glad I wouldn't have to be cooking because I wasn't really in the mood. "Alright. When do we need to leave?"

"Whenever you're ready to go."

"Okay. Let me just grab my coat and then we can go." I went back upstairs to put on my coat and right before I was about to leave my room, I decided to put on a bit of makeup. I didn't look that great after the plane ride and I didn't want my father's friends to think I looked completely hideous. A bit of blush and mascara and I was good to go. "Alright, dad, I'm ready," I said as I came down the stairs.

"Alright, kiddo, let's go." He got up from the couch and I followed him out the door to the car. Besides the police cruiser, Charlie owned a small silver car for those times when he didn't want to frighten the other drivers on the road. While we drove, he said, "You can borrow this car while you're in Washington. I don't want you to feel like you are trapped in the house."

"Thanks, dad." I said sincerely.

The road got down to one lane and the trees around the road began to thicken. I looked outside my window and I saw a sign that read 'La Push Reservation'. My heart skipped a beat. Even though I didn't know if it was even the right reservation, I got really excited at the possibility of Jacob being nearby. As we drove past homes and stores, I had my face plastered to the window as I searched for Jake, but I didn't see him.

A few minutes later, Charlie parked in a lot next to First Beach. There was still a bit of light out, and I was able to see a few people seated around a bonfire a little ways down the beach. Right when we were about to step onto sand, someone called Charlie's name. We both turned and saw a man walking towards us, and a girl about my age.

"Harry!" Charlie said. "How are you?"

"Can't complain. Is this Bella?" Harry asked.

"Yep. This is my little girl." Charlie said proudly.

"Nice to see you again, Bella. You probably don't remember me, but I'm Harry and this is my daughter Leah." Harry said, introducing the girl who was standing next to him.

"Wait, we've met before?" I asked confusedly.

"You sure have, kiddo." Charlie said. "I think you were about four. You and Leah we're pretty good friends."

"I don't remember…" I said quietly.

"Why don't you two catch up?" Harry said.

"Come on, Bella. I can introduce you to everyone down at the bonfire." Leah said.

"Alright." I said. Leah and I began to walk down the beach towards the group, leaving our fathers behind to chat. I didn't know who was over by the fire, but in the back of my mind I kept hoping Jacob was with them. "I'm sorry for crashing your party."

"You aren't exactly crashing, considering my dad invited you. Besides, apparently we used to be friends." Leah said kindly.

Walking down the beach, I noticed a food table with some balloons tied to it. I was kind of hungry, but seeing as there were a couple dirty plates, everyone had probably already eaten and I would feel awkward if I was the only one. As we got closer to the group, a boy called out, "Hey Leah! Who have you got there?"

"Shut up, Paul!" Leah said to the boy and then turned to me, saying, "That's Paul. He's an idiot. Just ignore him."

"Hey I heard that!" By this point, we were only a few feet away from the group. "Seriously, who is that? She's hot!"

I blushed at Paul's bold comment. Luckily, it was progressively getting darker out, so it wasn't so obvious. I quickly scanned the rest of the group and I was disappointed when I didn't see Jacob. I knew there was a possibility that he wouldn't be there, but I hoped that wouldn't be the case. Suddenly, Leah started introducing everyone and I was pulled out of my momentary sulk.

"So obviously, that's Paul." Leah began. "Next to him are Jarod, Kim, Emily, Sam, Brady, and Collin. And that's my little brother, Seth, at the end over there." A couple of the names sounded familiar, but I couldn't recall where I had heard them before.

"Hey! I'm not little. I'm taller than you now, Leah!" Seth argued.

"Yeah, yeah. So everyone, this is Bella. She's Chief Swan's daughter, so be nice." Leah said staring pointedly at Paul before taking a seat on the nearest empty log. "You want to sit, Bella?"

"Sure. Thanks."

"So how old are you, Bella?" Paul suddenly asked.

"Um, twenty-two…"

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Paul!" One of the girls scolded him. I'm pretty sure Leah said her name was Emily.

"What! I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to know!" Paul said, trying to defend himself. He then turned his attention back to me. "So? Do you have a boyfriend?"

"I, um…I guess not," I said. I wasn't being completely truthful, but technically Jacob wasn't my boyfriend anymore, he was my husband.

"Paul, just leave her alone." The guy sitting next to Emily said. I remembered that his name was Sam.

Suddenly, Paul's attention was off of me and he stared into the darkness behind me. "Hey, guys! You're late!" I turned around to see who he was talking to but I couldn't see their faces.

"Sorry! We just got off of work! Who's the new girl?" One of the guys asked.

"Chief Swan's daughter!" Seth said.

"What?" One of the voices said, sounding alarmed. I knew that voice. I knew that voice very well.

My heart sped up as the three guys came into view and I saw Jacob standing right in front of me.

"This is Bella." Leah said. "Bella this is, Quil, Embry, and Jacob."

"Nice to meet you, Bella," I heard Quil and Embry say before taking a seat, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Jacob. He was looking back at me with so much confusion.

"Are you going to sit down?" Leah asked cautiously, unsure at what she was seeing.

Jacob cleared his throat and sat down next to me. "Yeah."

After being away from him for a whole month, suddenly being near him again made me crazy. I wished that everyone was gone and it was just the two of us.

For the next twenty minutes, the whole group conversed. Jacob kept giving me side glances, but I didn't think anyone noticed.

Unexpectedly, Jacob stood up and announced that he was hungry and he was going to get food, asking if anyone wanted to join him.

Leah nudged me and gave me a funny look. I guess she noticed more than I thought.

"Um, I'll go. I haven't had dinner, yet." I glared at Leah as I said this and she just smirked at me.

"Okay, let's go." Jacob said.

The two of us walked towards the food, not speaking until we reached the table.

"What are you doing here?" Jacob whispered, even though we were out of earshot.

"My mom went to Florida so I'm visiting my dad. I wanted to surprise you but I didn't know if I was at the right reservation."

"There is only one Quileute reservation in Washington, babe." Jacob chuckled and started filling a plate with all of my favorite foods, without a second thought, before handing it to me. "Here."

"Well I didn't know that. And thanks. Where is your ring?"

"I thought it would be safer to leave it at the house. Where's yours?" Jacob asked as he filled his own plate.

"In my drawer at Charlie's house."

"I've missed you," he said, looking deep into my eyes.

"I've missed you too."

Jacob nodded. "We should get back before they come looking for us, but we're talking more later."

"Yes, we are." I agreed.

Jacob and I walked back to the group and ate our dinner. Once we finished, someone, I think his name was Quil, suggested that we all go swimming. It was cold out, so the girls decided to stay back while all the guys went. I tried to be discreet as I watched Jake take off his shirt to reveal his toned muscles, but I wasn't very successful. Leah seemed to notice everything.

Luckily, before she was about to comment on it, Kim asked, "How long are you going to be in Washington, Bella?"

"I'm not really sure. My flight just got in a couple of hours ago and I don't really know what my plans are yet. I mean, I guess I'll be here for at least a month, but if I really like it then I might stay longer," I said nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. It made me a bit uncomfortable when everyone was looking at me.

"Well I hope you decide to stay, Bella. We need more girls around here." Emily said.

"I really like it here, so maybe." I smiled. So far, everyone had been really nice. I could definitely see myself staying around for a while, especially if Jacob was there.

"Hey, Bella…" Leah said with a devilish smirk on her face. "I saw you looking at Jacob. Do you think he's hot?"

"I...I uh…" I stuttered.

"Don't worry if you do, Bella. He's pretty nice to look at." Kim said. I felt a bit jealous at her mentioning that she thought my husband was good looking, but I was able to contain myself because it seemed like she and Jarod were together.

"I think he likes you. You should ask him out." Leah said.

"No, I could never do that." I said.

"Jacob! Come here!" Leah called out and Jacob walked over to us.

When Jake was standing in front of us, Leah said, "Go ahead Bella. Ask him." She was devious, I'll tell you that.

I don't know why I was so nervous in front of Jacob. Maybe it wasn't Jacob, maybe it was the fact that we were together in front of his friends who didn't know anything about our marriage.

When I didn't say anything, Leah said my name again to urge me on. When I _still_ didn't say anything, Leah said, "Bella wants you to ask her out." I looked at her, horrified.

"Oh she does, does she?" Jacob asked, looking at me amusedly.

"Yes, she does." Leah said.

"Alright." Jake said simply.

"What?" I asked confusedly.

"Do you want to go out with me tomorrow night, Bella?" Jake asked, slightly smirking at my expense.

"Sure." I choked out.

"Good. I'll pick you up at seven." Jacob said and then went back to his friends.

Before Jacob was even out of earshot, Leah said, "I knew that would work! He totally likes you!"

I looked over at the other two girls, who had been very quiet during the whole exchange, and they were shaking with laughter.

"You're lucky, Bella." Emily began. "Jacob is the most eligible bachelor on the reservation."

He wasn't a bachelor, but I went along with it anyway. "Can you guys not tell my dad? I think he would get mad if he found out I had a date. He's really protective over me."

"We wont say anything." Leah said, smiling. She was so smug that her plan had worked. To be honest, I was glad it worked too. Hopefully, eventually, Jacob and I would be able to be together around his friends. That would make things a whole lot easier. For the time being, I was just glad that he was nearby and that I would be getting to spend some alone time with him again after a month apart.

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**So this is a long chapter for me, but I really wanted to finish the scene. I hope you enjoyed chapter 4! I'm sorry if you have been waiting for my other story to be updated, but I'll have it done soon. I've just been having a hard time with that chapter. Anyways, thanks for reading and I really appreciate all of the follows that I have been getting!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

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Charlie and I left the bonfire shortly after Leah forced Jacob to ask me out. Later that night, Jacob called and teased me about the whole thing. I was slightly embarrassed, but as long as I was going to spend some alone time with him, it was okay. I told him the longer version of why I had come to Washington and then proceeded to apologize as he told me that he almost had a heart attack when he realized I was at the beach. Apparently, he was so sure that he would say or do something that would end up revealing our secret that he thought about leaving. But then he realized that leaving would have been even more obvious that something was happening, so he stayed.

The next morning I was all giddy. I actually hummed while I was cooking breakfast for Charlie and me.

"You seem to be in a good mood today," Charlie commented, looking at me over his newspaper.

"Had a good night's sleep, that's all." I replied.

"Did you have a good time at the bonfire last night?"

"Yep. Everyone was really cool. And I can see why Leah and I were friends when we were little." Leah was a lot of fun and I could definitely see the two of us rekindling our childhood friendship.

"Good. I want you to know that I am going to be going fishing with Harry and Billy this morning, and then I have patrol all night, so don't wait up."

"Sure thing, dad. Who's Billy, by the way?" I really hoped that he wasn't talking about Jake's dad.

"Billy Black. He and I have been friends for years. Probably even longer than me and Harry."

Crap. Not only was my dad friends with my husband's dad, but they were _best_ friends! Would he be happy or extremely angry when he found out I married his best friend's son? One thing was for sure; I was not ready to find out.

Charlie finished his breakfast and then left to go fishing. He left me the car so I could go somewhere, but I really didn't know where I would go. Even if I did, I would probably get lost. I would have loved to go to the reservation to see Jacob, but that might have been suspicious to his friends since we hadn't had our first date yet. Instead, I got things done around the house. Living without a woman in the house for so long made Charlie kind of a slob. I cleaned the house top to bottom, and by the time I was done, Charlie was back with a couple of fish.

I decided to cook up one of the fish for Charlie while he was getting ready for work so he could take it with him. He left around five, which meant I had two whole hours before Jacob would be arriving. Because I really had nothing better to do, I messed around with my hair and makeup and tried on a bunch of different outfits. Eventually, I couldn't handle the girly stuff anymore, so I picked out an outfit and then settled into the couch downstairs while I waited for Jake.

I jumped when the doorbell rang. I was so excited to see him again. I opened the door to reveal a smartly dressed Jake holding a bouquet of red roses.

"For my lovely wife. You look beautiful," Jake said, making me blush. He then leaned in and gave me a passionate kiss. I definitely missed that when we were apart.

"You don't look so bad, yourself," I said in a daze once he pulled away.

Jacob chuckled. "I love it when you blush."

"Do you want to come inside while I put these flowers in some water?" I asked, nervously biting my lip.

"Your dad's not here, right?" Jacob looked over my shoulder as if he would catch a glimpse of Charlie in the other room.

"No, he's working all night." I said and ushered him inside.

"Hmm, interesting." Jake said as he followed me into the kitchen where I proceeded to fill a vase with water for the flowers.

"What's interesting?" I asked, already knowing what he was getting at.

"That we have this rare time alone after so long apart." Jacob said, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

I feigned shock and put a hand over my heart. "I can't believe you would think I'm that type of girl. Shame on you!"

"Bel-la." Jake said, emphasizing the two syllables as if they were separate words.

"You promised me a date, Jacob Black," I mock scolded him.

"Why would you just assume that I wouldn't still be taking you out on a date?" Jacob asked, knowing that he was about to be in trouble. "Do you have your coat?"

"On the hook by the door." I walked to the front door and grabbed my jacket. I wasn't actually irritated, but apparently Jake thought I was because he grabbed my hand as I was opening the door.

"I'm sorry. You know I love you, right?" Jake looked so worried.

I smiled at him. He was just too darn cute. "I love you too. And I never said no to Bella and Jacob alone time; I would never say no to that. I just want to go out and show you off first."

Jacob pulled me into his warm embrace and kissed the top of my head. "I have the perfect place for dinner."

"Then what are we waiting for?" I said and gave him a kiss on the nose.

Jacob took us to a diner downtown. It was the best place he could have taken me. Us and diners were just our thing. After dinner, we went back to my house and we did end up having some alone time, but Jake couldn't stay too long because Charlie would be home. Overall, it was a good date and was happy to spend time with my husband again.

The next day, Jake asked if I wanted to go to the beach for the afternoon. Of course I said yes.

I arrived at Jake's house at the exact time he told me to be there. Jake had some work to finish at home, so we were meeting there before going to the beach. It was the first time I had been to his house, so I was excited to see where Jacob had grown up. I quickly knocked on the door expecting Jake, but not knowing I was about to meet my father-in-law.

"Yes, can I help you?" Jake's father asked. I was so nervous that I forgot how to speak. I noticed that Jake looked a lot like him and that made me smile. Jake had told me that the accident that had killed his mother was the same accident that put his father in a wheelchair. It was unfortunate, but Billy was very lucky to be alive.

"Um, yes. Chief Black, I'm Bella Swan. Is Jake around?" I barely remembered to say Swan. That would have been a horrible slipup.

Billy immediately broke out into a smile. "Bella! I haven't seen you since you were very young! Look how much you've grown! Come in, come in! Jake is just out back." Billy led me into the house where I was greeted with many photos of Jake at all stages of life. "Have a seat, I'll go get Jake."

"Thank you, Chief Black."

"Please, call me Billy."

"Alright." I said softly. I momentarily wondered if he would be so enthusiastic had he known the truth about Jake's and my relationship.

Billy left to fetch Jake and a minute later the two of them were back in the room.

"Son, you didn't tell me you were friends with Bella Swan!" Billy said.

"Must have slipped my mind." Jake mumbled, running a hand through his hair. "Bells, do you want to go down to the beach now?"

"Yeah." I said standing up. Billy was extremely nice but under the circumstances I was very keen on getting out of that house. "It was nice to meet you, Billy."

"You're welcome back any time." Billy said kindly.

"Thank you."

When we got outside, Jake took my hand and we began our walk to the beach. The beach wasn't far from his house and it was a nice little walk.

"I didn't expect to meet your dad." I said.

"Sorry, I kind of forgot he was going to be home today."

"It's alright. He's very sweet."

Jake led us to a sandy spot that was hidden by some rather large rocks. We both sat down in the sand and watched the waves for a while. I really loved La Push. I was definitely considering staying in Washington, if that's what Jake wanted to do.

"Hey Jake?" I said, looking over at my handsome husband.

"Yeah, babe?" He leaned back on his arms as he stared into the water.

"What are your plans?"

"What do you mean?" Jake asked, looking over at me quizzically.

"I mean, I'm in Washington now. Should I stay?"

"I would love for you to stay. I don't want us to be apart again. But, Bella, if you want to go somewhere else then we can go. I'll go wherever you want to go," Jake said, looking concerned because he was thinking I was telling him I wanted to leave. I had to make myself more clear about what I was trying to say.

"No, I'm not saying I want to leave. I would never ask you to leave your home. Besides, I really like it here. But what about when you become chief? We would have to tell people about us before that happens. Would they even accept me? I'm kind of an outsider..."

"Of course they would accept you! Even if they didn't like you, they would _have_ to accept you because you're my wife. And obviously my dad already loves you, so that wont be a problem," Jake chuckled, but then stopped when he saw the worry on my face. He sat up and took both of my hands in his. "Babe, you don't need to worry so much. Everything is going to work out. Things are already working out, thanks to Leah being the way she is."

"I know it'll work out. Sometimes I just wonder why I asked you to go along with this. It's causing way more trouble than it's worth." I sighed.

"That's not true. You're completely worth it. I would do this all again if I had to, so long as we ended up together." Jake released one of my hands so could cup my face. "You're my best friend. I made a promise that I would never leave you."

"And I'll never leave you." I whispered as we both leaned in in for a kiss. It began soft and gentle but became more fierce as it went on and Jake leaned me back into the sand as he hovered over me. After a couple minutes, we heard a strange crunching noise and immediately stopped. "What was that?"

Both of us looked around but didn't see anything.

"I'm sure it was just an animal, but we should probably make our way back." Jake said, unsure.

I nodded and Jake stood up, offering me his hand to help me up. The two of us walked back to my car in silence where he quickly gave me a peck and told me he would call the next day. Jake was probably right about the noise being an animal, but I still had an eerie feeling that it was more than that. Only time would reveal if someone had actually seen or heard something they shouldn't have.

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**Comments on chapter 5? **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

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The next day, I woke up to the sound of rain pounding on my window. Rain wasn't always my favorite, but it was a nice change from the blazing Arizona sun. I wondered how my mom and Phil were doing in Florida. She would probably be expecting a phone call soon to make sure I was settling in okay. I made a mental note to call her later that day. I couldn't believe how much my life had changed in such a short period of time, but it was a good change. I was excited to see what would happen and I was nervous to find out how my dad and my new friends would react to Jacob and my relationship.

I was just about to get out of bed when there was a light rap on my door.

"Bella?" My dad's voice called through the thin wood.

"Come in." I said, getting out of bed.

"Good, you're up. I'm making breakfast, do you want some?"

"Sure, sounds good." I was searching around my room for something to wear for the day.

"Do you have any plans today?" Charlie asked.

"Not really. Maybe just some exploring."

"Oh. Well I was going to head over to Harry's after breakfast and he mentioned that Leah really wanted to see you again."

"Um, yeah, that would be nice. Leah is really cool." I was glad that I hadn't made too big of a fool of myself at the bonfire. Having some girl time with Leah sounded like fun. Besides, she probably was dying to know how the date between Jake and me went.

"Great." Charlie grumbled and then left to start breakfast.

After breakfast, the two of us took Charlie's non-police car to the reservation to visit the Clearwater's. The rain still hadn't let up by the time we reached their house, so I practically ran to the porch. Charlie just chuckled at me, taking his sweet time. By the time he reached me, his hair had visible droplets of water in it.

"It's just a bit of rain, Bella. You'll get use to it soon enough," He said as he rang the doorbell.

"Charlie, Bella! Please come in." Harry said happily, moving aside to let us pass.

Immediately after we entered, I heard someone move around upstairs and then Leah was visible at the top of the staircase. "Bella!" She ran down the stairs and gave me an unexpected hug. "It's good to see you again!"

"Thanks, Leah. You too." I said gently patting her back.

"Come on, let's go upstairs!" She said as she grabbed my sleeve and started pulling me behind her.

"Oh, okay." I looked back at Charlie, giving him a panicked expression, but he and Harry just laughed at my discomfort.

Once we got to her room, Leah pushed me inside, closed the door behind her, and leaned back against it. "Tell me about your date." She whisper yelled.

"It was fine." I mumbled, backing up to take a seat at the edge of her bed.

"Fine? You expect me to believe that your date with Jacob Black was just _fine_? Have you _seen_ him!?" She said as she took a seat next to me on the bed.

"Okay then…it was really fun. He took me out to dinner and we talked." She didn't need to know how the rest of the night went.

Leah stared at me for a moment, as if trying to assess the information I just gave her. "You're leaving something out." She said suddenly.

"No I'm not. Why would you think that?" I said quickly. Leah was making me very nervous and I could feel my face heating up.

"Because you're as red as a tomato, Bella Swan"

"I'm not leaving anything out." I said, only somewhat confidently.

Leah paused, giving me a smirk. "Look, I didn't want to be the one to bring this up, but I saw something at the beach yesterday."

I immediately froze. My heart started pounding a million beats a minute. I tried to act cool and calm, but even I could tell that my actions were completely off. "Oh. Well, w-what did you see?"

Leah stood up and went to her desk as if searching for something, but I knew that she was just trying to create a dramatic build to what she was about to reveal.

"I was just walking down the beach, minding my own business, when I hear a noise. I decided I would go over and see what was there, and lo and behold, I end up seeing a couple making out!"

Crap. She definitely knew what happened. I hoped that she hadn't heard what we were talking about, though. I decided to play the dumb card and see how that played out. "Oh…well did you see their faces?"

"It was you, idiot!" Leah gave me a pointed look.

My face was so hot; I was sweating bullets. "No one was supposed to see that…"

Leah smiled in response. "Honestly, I am a bit surprised. I didn't peg you for the type to make out in public, especially with a guy you just met." She raised an eyebrow at me.

No, I definitely wasn't like that. And I really didn't want people thinking I was like that. If that sort of information started to get around about me, it could be bad. "Can I trust you, Leah?" That was the real question. I definitely wanted to trust her, but my secret was so big that even the most trustworthy of people would have a problem keeping it.

"Of course you can." She gave me a no-nonsense look, sensing that the conversation had turned from playful to serious.

I thought for a second, wondering if I was about to make a huge mistake or not. Yes, I did trust Leah. Even though we had only just become friends again, I knew that she wouldn't say anything if I asked her not to. Since I was paranoid that someone might be listening, I got off the bed and opened the bedroom door to poke my head out and check if anyone was around. When I was satisfied that no one was listening, I went back to the bed and gave Leah a stern look. "You can't tell _anyone_ what I'm about to tell you. Not Seth, not your mom and dad, not _anyone_. Got it?"

"I've got it." Leah said calmly, but I could tell she was dying to know what I was about to tell her and why I was being so secretive.

"I've met Jake before."

"But-"

I put up my hand to stop her. "Please just let me finish." I had to take a deep breath before continuing, to calm my nerves. "Jake and I went to school together. We met sophomore year and we started dating."

"Okay…so you guys have been dating a couple of years? Then why would you pretend like you didn't know each other?" I could tell that she was genuinely confused.

I sighed. "My dad is really overprotective of me. We had to keep it a secret. And then the lie just kept getting bigger and if I told my dad now, then he would completely freak."

"Then just tell him you met Jake at the bonfire and you started dating. No big." She shrugged.

"Leah…Jake and I aren't dating." I was nervously playing with the hem of my shirt.

"But I saw you two at the beach…"

"We're married." I bit my lip and waited for the storm.

"WHAT?!" She screamed. I sprang across the room and covered her mouth with my hand to get her to shut up.

"Kids, is everything okay up there?" Harry called from downstairs.

"Fine!" I yelled back, looking at Leah, panicked. "If I let you go, are you going to scream again?"

She shook her head and I released her.

"Is this for real?" She whispered.

"We got married after graduation and then we both went our separate ways. We weren't expecting to see each other the night of the bonfire. Do you understand why my dad can't know? I never told him we were dating, so he would have a heart attack if he found out we were married."

"I think I need to sit down." Leah sat on her bed and looked at me strangely. "I can't believe he has been able to keep that a secret."

"He never slipped?"

"Never. There have been girls practically throwing themselves at him every time he visits during breaks and he never even gives them a second glance. I always thought that was a bit strange, but I was glad that at least one of the guys on the reservation wasn't obsessed with women. I think that's why so many girls liked him; he was playing hard to get. Now it all makes sense." Leah shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe he has kept this from all of us for three years!"

A swell a pride went through me when I heard that Jacob didn't look at other girls even when I wasn't around. He really was respectful and kind and absolutely perfect. It was in the middle of my swooning that I realized that I hadn't even consulted Jacob about telling Leah the secret. It's not like I was planning on telling her, so hopefully he would understand, but I also hoped that it wouldn't ruin any of our plans to start getting his friends to believe we were dating. I wasn't the best actress, so having to pretend when Leah knew the secret would be a challenge. I knew she would be watching our every move to see how Jacob and I acted around each other. On the plus side, I now had someone to talk to about my secret, and that felt good. Keeping something hidden for so long was extremely draining.

I knew my dad wouldn't approve right away, but that had me thinking about what Billy would do. I wasn't exactly Quileute. Would he be mad that his son married someone outside of the tribe? Would the tribe be mad at their future leader's choices? Would I be accepted? Things were definitely more complicated that I originally anticipated.

"Is the tribe going to hate me when they find out?" I asked softly

Leah was silent as she thought it over for a moment. "Some people might not be too excited, but you're a very likeable person. I don't see why people wouldn't like you once they get to know you. I definitely don't think any of Jake's friend's will have a problem with it. I mean, you already know what Paul thinks of you."

I chuckled at the memory of Paul's comments during the bonfire. "I really hope you're right."

"People would be crazy not to like you! And don't worry, I'll do my best to help however I can."

"Thanks, Leah. You're a good friend."

"I know."

* * *

_**IMPORTANT:**_ **This will be the last update for a couple of weeks. I will be moving into my apartment and starting school in a few days, so I will need to be focusing on that. But don't worry, I will be back soon enough with a new chapter! It'll be like I wasn't even gone! Thanks for reading this far and I hope you decide to stick around!**


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